Shoemaking



May 18, 1937. D. F. NE.WMAN 2,080,501

SHOEMAKING Filed Feb. 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Shem. l

INVENTOR BY gwu Kama.

ATTO NEY y 1937. D. F. NEWMAN 2,080,501

SHOEMAKING Filed Feb. 6, 1936 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 INVENTOR .QWMXMM. BY

ATT RNEY Patented May 18, 1937 UNlTED STATES -P.ATENT OFFIQE SHOEMAKING Donald F. Newman, Lynn,

Danvers Shoe Company,

Mass, assignor to Newburyport, Mass,

Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture or preparation of lined Vamps which are to be .crimped in the process of shoemaking in order to improve the fit of the shoe. The invention con- :sists in an improved method of preparing lined 'vamps in such a manner that the necessity for recutting after crimping the vamp is avoided, an appreciable saving in stock is effected and a desirable and attractive finish is imparted to the exposed edge of the crimped vamp.

Prior to the present invention it has been the practice to cut the vamp and its leather lining oversize, or with a liberal crimping'allowance, crimp the blanks separately and then to recut the folded blanks after the crimping operation. The reason for this procedure is that the blanks are likely to stretch unequally in the crimping operation and must be recut in order to impart an accurate outline thereto. Accordingly, it has been customary to trim off an appreciable and variable amount from the margin of all crimped vamps and vamp linings to produce uniformity of contour. The material removed in the recutting operation is of course a direct and serious waste in the 'shoemaking process.

I have discovered that this waste may be obviated and other important advantages secured by first stitching the vamp and the lining together along their common transverse or upper edge, and then crimping the lined vamp as a single .piece of material with the stitched edge folded about the crimping blade. Under these circumstances the exposed and stitched edge of the vamp is not distorted and any inequality in the stretch of the two blanks appears at the margin and may be taken care of in the lasting operation without any difiiculty whatever. On this account it is possible to out both the vamp and the lining much closer to pattern than formerly and the waste of recutting is entirely eliminated as well as the expense of the recutting operation. This novel procedure also ensures the exact coincidence of the curved contour lines in the two parts, and eliminates any inaccuracy which would result from the formation of crimped or molded areas in offset relation as might occur when the parts are separately crimped.

In accordance with the process of my invention I contemplate uniting the vamp and its lining with the grain or finished surfaces of the two blanks disposed in face to face contact, and then turning the blanks so as to bring the finished surface outside and impart a rolled-edge effect to the doubled edge. The crimping operation is then carried out. An advantage incident to this novel sequence of steps is that the exposed or rolled edge of the vamp is set by the pressure of the crimping plates with an attractive and ornamental corded effect and no further finishing operation is needed on this part of the shoe.

My invention may be carried out alternatively by crimping the lined vamp either prior to the turning operation or subsequently to the turning operation. In some cases, as with delicate leather, I have found it advisable to crimp the lined blank before the turning operation, since in this manner all danger is avoided of burning or discoloring the finished face of the leather by the crimping plates. In this instance the ornamental corded-edge effect is secured by subsequently turning the upper and beating the doubled edge to set it in shape.

These and other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of two among other different ways in which it may be put into practice, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the step of sewing together a vamp and its lining,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the parts after they have been turned right side out,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the lined blank in relation to the plates of a crimping machine.

Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the vamp with the addition of a cemented zone, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the crimping operation as carried out with the vamp wrong side out.

As shown in Fig. l the vamp blank I0 is out without allowance for recutting and if desired may be skivecl along its transverse or upper edge H so that it is reduced in thickness where it is to be exposed in the finished shoe. The lining blank i2 is similarly cut to shape and experience has shown that by eliminating recutting allowance both the vamp and its lining may be cut down more than a full size, in some cases as much as two full sizes, as compared to the size required in blanks which must be recut. The vamp l0 and its lining l2 are then stitched together along their common transverse edge by a line of stitching [3. The needle bar [4 of the sewing machine is shown in position for this sewing operation. The vamp and its lining are united in inside out relation, that is to say, with the grain face of the blanks in contact and their flesh sides outermost.

After having united the vamp ID with its lining l2 in the manner suggested in Fig. 1. the lined blank is turned so as to bring the grain side may be folded and then carried downwardly under pressure between the plates IS. The advancing edge of the blade H is conformed to the curvature which it is desired to impart to the crimped vamp. As shown in Fig. 3 the lined vamp I2 is folded longitudinally upon the blade I? and will be carried downwardly between the heated plates l6 with an ironing action, the stitched edge of the lined vamp extending normal to or approximately normal to the edge of the plate about which the vamp is folded. The vamp is in a mulled condition, and consequently in the crimping operation it is molded into the desired crimped shape, fullness being thrown into the center portion of the vamp. At the same time the ironing operation is eifected to set the rolled edge I in finshed condition.

The lined and crimped vamp is prepared to be incorporated in the shoe by having its two parts cemented together along a zone parallel and adjacent to the rolled edge i5, the cementing operation being indicated in Fig. 4.

As already explained it is desirable when the material of the vamp is a delicate leather or ,of'a light finish, to carry out the crimping operation before the lined vamp is turned so that the grained side of the vamp is subjected to the direct action of the crimping plates and all danger of burning or marking the finished side of the vamp thus eliminated. This modification of my invention is suggested in Fig. 5 where the lined vamp i0 is folded upon the crimping machine blade I! in inside out relation, that is to say, flesh side out. The crimping operation is carried out under these conditions and then the crimped vamp is turned to form the rolled edge effect. In this case. however, itis advisable to set the rolled edge by a separate beating operation since the crimping operation carried out under these circumstances is not eifective for that purpose.

Having thus described my invention what '1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The process of preparing vamps for shoemakingg which consists in uniting the vamp and lining along their common transverse edge only, and then folding on a longitudinal axis and crimping the lined vamp as a single piece of material while the united edge of the vamp and lining extends substantially normal to the fold line, thereby throwing inequalities resulting from the crimping operation into the free edges of the vamp and its lining.

2. The process of preparing vamps for shoemaking, which consists in sewing the vamp and lining together along their common transverse edge in inside-out relation, folding on a longitudinal axis and crimping the lined vamp in that condition with its sewed edge extending approximately normal to the fold line, and then turning the lined vamp to present a corded edge effect.

3. The process of preparing vamps for shoemaking, which consists in sewing the vamp and lining together along their common transverse edge in inside-out relation, turning the lined vamp to present a corded edge efiect, and then folding on a longitudinal axis and crimping the turned vamp and simultaneously ironing and setting said edge all by the same instrumentali: ties.

4. The process of preparing vamps for shoemaking, which consists in skiving the transverse edge of a vamp to gradually decreasing thickness, sewing a lining piece to the skived edge in inside-out relation, turning the lined vamp to present a corded edge effect folding it on a longitudinal axis, crimping the lined vamp with its sewed edge extending approximately normal to the fold'line and simultaneously ironing and setting said edge, andthen cementing the vamp and lining together in a zone adjacent to their sewed edge. e

5. The process of preparing vamps for shoemaking, which consists in sewing a vamp and its lining together in inside-out relation by a line of stitching adjacent to their common transverse edge, folding and crimping the lined vamp with its sewed edge disposed approximately at right angles to the fold thereby throwing incidental inequalities to the free margins of the connected parts, and turning the lined and crimped vamp to roll the material of the vamp over the transverse edge of its lining.

DONALD F. NEWMAN. 

